Theranostics 2016; 6(8):1205-1219. doi:10.7150/thno.15083 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling

Cun Wang1*, Haojie Jin1*, Ning Wang1*, Shaohua Fan2*, Yanyan Wang3, Yurong Zhang1, Lin Wei1, Xuemei Tao1, Dishui Gu1, Fangyu Zhao1, Jingyuan Fang1, Ming Yao1, Wenxin Qin1✉

1. State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China;
2. Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China;
3. Department of Oncology, The Affiliated City Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, China.
*These authors contribute equally to this work.

Citation:
Wang C, Jin H, Wang N, Fan S, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wei L, Tao X, Gu D, Zhao F, Fang J, Yao M, Qin W. Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling. Theranostics 2016; 6(8):1205-1219. doi:10.7150/thno.15083. https://www.thno.org/v06p1205.htm
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Abstract

Graphic abstract

Chemoresistance in breast cancer has been of great interest in past studies. However, the development of rational therapeutic strategies targeting chemoresistant cells is still a challenge in clinical oncology. By integrating data from global differences of gene expression and phospho-receptor tyrosine kinases between sensitive parental cells (MCF-7) and doxorubicin-resistant cells (MCF-7/ADR), we identified Axl as a potential target for chemoresistance and metastasis in multidrug resistant breast cancer cells. We analyzed Axl expression in 57 breast cancer cell lines and detected a dramatic increase in its expression level in mesenchymal breast cancer cell lines. Axl silencing suppressed invasive and metastatic potentials of chemoresistant breast cancer cells as well as increased elimination of cancer cells when combined with doxorubicin. Furthermore, in preclinical assays, an Axl inhibitor R428 showed increased cell death upon doxorubicin treatment. Additionally, using phospho-kinase array based proteomic analysis, we identified that Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin cascade was responsible for Axl-induced cell invasion. Nuclear translocation of β-catenin then induced transcriptional upregulation of ZEB1, which in turn regulated DNA damage repair and doxorubicin-resistance in breast cancer cells. Most importantly, Axl was correlated with its downstream targets in tumor samples and was associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. These results demonstrate that Gas6/Axl axis confers aggressiveness in breast cancer and may represent a therapeutic target for chemoresistance and metastasis.

Keywords: Axl, EMT, R428, drug-resistance, breast cancer.


Citation styles

APA
Wang, C., Jin, H., Wang, N., Fan, S., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Wei, L., Tao, X., Gu, D., Zhao, F., Fang, J., Yao, M., Qin, W. (2016). Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling. Theranostics, 6(8), 1205-1219. https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.15083.

ACS
Wang, C.; Jin, H.; Wang, N.; Fan, S.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Wei, L.; Tao, X.; Gu, D.; Zhao, F.; Fang, J.; Yao, M.; Qin, W. Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling. Theranostics 2016, 6 (8), 1205-1219. DOI: 10.7150/thno.15083.

NLM
Wang C, Jin H, Wang N, Fan S, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wei L, Tao X, Gu D, Zhao F, Fang J, Yao M, Qin W. Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling. Theranostics 2016; 6(8):1205-1219. doi:10.7150/thno.15083. https://www.thno.org/v06p1205.htm

CSE
Wang C, Jin H, Wang N, Fan S, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wei L, Tao X, Gu D, Zhao F, Fang J, Yao M, Qin W. 2016. Gas6/Axl Axis Contributes to Chemoresistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer through Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin Signaling. Theranostics. 6(8):1205-1219.

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